Easy Blueberry Muffins

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I’m going back to basics with my cooking and baking.  I have one kid in college and one going much sooner than I’d like.  All those plans I had to teach them how to fend for themselves in the kitchen, well, those plans didn’t become reality.  So now, through this blog, I’m sharing simple, basic, scratch recipes.  Easy recipes that a beginner can easily make and they taste delicious!

I’m a big believer in kids drinking milk.  Especially for breakfast!  It is wholesome and has natural high-quality complete protein (per 8-oz serving).  Plus, there are 9 essential nutrients, including calcium, potassium, and vitamin D.  Milk is one of those things that my kids would always drink when I put a glass of it in front of them.  It is important to help ensure your kids get all the nutrients they need.  It’s hard to do without milk in your diet.  When you do incorporate milk in your diet, I feel it’s perfectly fine to have the occasional yummy breakfast like these blueberry muffins.  Especially when they are made from scratch!

When you are baking, start with clean surfaces.  It’s supposed to be fun!  And, if your counters are cluttered and you have no room to work, it’s stressful.   Once you have prepared your workspace, gather your ingredients and measuring utensils.

You don’t need fancy tools or equipment to make good food!  I have that big counter mixer but prefer my little hand mixer.  And sometimes, I like just using my old fashioned mixing spoon.  The cleanup is sooooo much easier!

So, let’s begin.  Oh, just an fyi.  After these detailed directions, there is a printable recipe for you.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soft butter (room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (not baking soda!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh blueberries

For the blueberry muffin streusel topping (optional):
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Using a mixing spoon or a hand mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.

Crack two eggs into a small bowl. This way you don’t get eggshell into your batter!
The proper way to add eggs is to add them one at a time, mixing in between. If it’s a simple recipe like this, go ahead and just add them both then mix until fluffy.

Mix in vanilla, baking powder, and salt, ensuring batter is smooth when done.

When adding flour and milk, alternate ingredients. In this recipe, add one cup flour, stir, add a 1/2 cup milk, stir and then repeat.

My Mom always added milk instead of water to recipes.  I do the same!  It does help your recipes turn out just a bit better!

Before adding your blueberries to the batter put them into a small bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of flour. Gently stir so that the blueberries get covered in the flour. This helps prevent the blueberries from sinking while baking.

Fold in the blueberries. Not stir or beat. But fold in. Take your mixing spoon and grab the batter from the bottom of the bowl and ‘fold’ it over the top of your batter. This is the gentle way of incorporating ingredients so that the blueberries don’t get mushed.

Use a scoop or a large spoon and scoop enough blueberry muffin batter into each muffin liner so they are about 2/3 full.

If you like a bit of a crumble on top, mix the crumble ingredients together, quickly rubbing them together. You don’t want to take a long time doing this or the butter will melt. Do this quickly and stop once you have the consistency of course sand.

Bake for roughly 16 – 18 minutes. At approx. 16 minutes, poke muffin with a toothpick. It should come out without any batter on it. If the toothpick has batter on it, bake for a couple more minutes and retest. For me, when I make 12 muffins, 18 minutes always seems to be a perfect time to bake. But, sometimes it depends on your oven.

I hope you enjoy these blueberry muffins. And, don’t forget to pick up some milk for your family the next time you are shopping for groceries.   In most stores, you will find milk right at the very back of the store. That’s the case at my local Pick n’ Save store. Head right to the back, and grab your gallon from the refrigerated dairy section.

Milk is one of those products that is often on sale.   Obviously it was the day I was shopping : ).

Make sure to get some great information about milk, a simple, wholesome and affordable way to help kids get the balanced nutrition they need.

As an fyi, there is also some great info. about milk on the Milk Facebook Page and the Milk Pinterest board. Or, take a peak at milklife.com for some great milk ideas!

Has milk stopped being a regular part of your staple items in your home? Pick some up and I bet you will remember how much everyone loves it (especially with a warm muffin)!

I didn’t forget, here is the printable recipe for you!